J. Cole responds to Kendrick with "MIGHT DELETE LATER"

By: Brayden Peters

J. Cole performing on the What Dreams May Come Tour. Photo Credit: Eddy Rissling, The Come Up Show

J. Cole was not going to let Kendrick Lamar get away with throwing shade at him in Future's song "Like That." On Friday, Apr. 5, Cole released his latest album, "MIGHT DELETE LATER." This is almost three years after he released his previous album, "THE OFF-SEASON,"on May 14, 2021.

"MIGHT DELETE LATER" is packed with different variations of rap. Some of his songs, such as "READY '24," are more up-tempo and hardcore while other songs, like "TRAE THE TRUTH IN IBIZA," are slower in tempo and are easier to relax to. Multiple R&B songs are sampled and remixed in the album, such as Keb' Mo's "Rainmaker" in "PI" and Abraham Battat's "Listen Baby" in "H.Y.B." Surprisingly, the song "HUNTIN' WABBITZ," samples "Wabbit Season," a YouTube video made by animator MeatCanyon.

Cole's well-known lyricism is clearly present in "7 MINUTE DRILL," which was made as a response to shade thrown by Lamar. In "Like That," he rejected Cole's idea that him, Lamar and Drake are the three greatest mainstream rappers of rap in the 2010s. Also, Lamar mentioned how his legacy will outlast Cole's. He compared this with Prince outliving Michael Jackson. Numerous times in the album, Cole referenced his unreleased album,"THE FALL OFF," hinting that its release will be coming soon. At the end of "7 MINUTE DRILL," he hinted at the possibility of the album "IT'S A BOY" being dropped soon, as well. In the last three lines of the song, Cole says, "I can drop two classics right now..."THE FALL OFF" on the way..."

"READY '24" showed that he meant business in the album, with its hardcore style and fast tempo. The transition at the beginning of the song with the remix and beat is something that will catch many people off guard. It was an effective buildup to Cole rapping. Also, the instrumentals and creative lyrics make it hard to not bob your head to the song. It is even a song that is perfect for athletes to listen to before a game. You can lock in and feel confident during pre-game. "READY '24" is the best song in the entire album.

Cole made history with "MIGHT DELETE LATER"  because this is the first time in his career one of his projects wasn't released with entertainment company Roc-Nation. The album was released under Interscope Records and Dreamville Records which was founded by Cole and his manager, Ibrahim Hamad.

"MIGHT DELETE LATER" features a variety of other artists. R&B singer Ari Lennox is featured in the song "PRICEY." She is the only singer that was brought onto the project. As for rappers that were featured, it was a mixed bag, as there are some rappers featured that aren't that well known. Young Dro and Gucci Mane are given the spotlight in "PRICEY." Cam'ron raps the last quarter of "READY '24." Bas is featured in "H.Y.B." and "STEALTH MODE." Central Cee is also on "H.Y.B." where he adds UK drill rap to the song. Ab-Soul and Daylyt rap for the majority of "PI," going back-and-forth in the first two verses. Lastly, Trae the Truth gets his moment to shine in the last minute of "TRAE THE TRUTH IN IBIZA."

"MIGHT DELETE LATER" was unexpectedly underwhelming, especially after Cole's previous album, "THE OFF-SEASON," was nominated for Best Rap Album in the Grammys and won Hip Hop Album of the Year at the iHeartRadio Music Awards. There were some songs in "MIGHT DELETE LATER" that could be hits with how good they were. However, there was a surprising lack of consistency, even in his lyricism. His response to Kendrick's diss left a lot to be desired. Cole even apologized for his shots at Kendrick in "7 MINUTE DRILL," in which Cole proceeded to remove the song from streaming services. They include Spotify, Apple Music and Tidal. This is not a good look for the song or the album. However, if the hinted-at "IT'S A BOY" and "THE FALL OFF" are released in the future, Cole will most likely bounce back. After all, he is considered to be part of rap's current "Big Three" for a reason.

"MIGHT DELETE LATER" is right now in the number one spot in the Apple Music album charts. You can listen to the album on Spotify, Apple Music, Tidal and YouTube.

Track List

1. PRICEY (Ft. Young Dro & Gucci Mane)

2. CROCODILE TEARZ

3. READY '24 (Ft. Cam'ron)

4. HUNTIN' WABBITZ

5. H.Y.B. (Ft. Bas & Central Cee)

6. FEVER

7. STICKZ N STONEZ

8. PI (Ft. Daylyt & Ab-Soul)

9. STEALTH MODE

10. 3001

11. TRAE THE TRUTH IN IBIZA

12. 7 MINUTE DRILL